An Arrow to Wounded Knee - Case File

Submitted by P.E. Whyborne

SUMMARY
A Mr. Wilber Connors of Rapid City, SD contacted the Society about some matter of “National Dignity”. We met Mr. Connors at the Grand Martin hotel and took possession of three items of note: a burned scrap of paper initialed T. L. , six pieces of vellum covered in Lakota writings, and a large pistol. He also described interactions with purple-robed men in gold masks. Some calamity befell Mr. Connors that led to his death, the details of which I suspect Dr. Stine and Mr. Von Eitzel might know. Our research led us to a burial mound near the site of the Battle of Wounded Knee where we encountered some sort of horror. We’ve trapped the fiend the burial mound, but only temporarily.

FINDINGSPAPERSCRAP
Mr Connors reported finding the included item while investigating the Battle of Wounded Knee site. The only phrases I can decipher were “Found potential manner” and “Found potential entrance”.

STACK OF VELLUM
Inside a modern wooden box, Connors had six pieces of vellum wrapped in reed twine. Examining the sheets revealed writings in Lakota – I have no standing with this tongue, but did pull out words for death and the Crow, a symbol of death and the dying in their culture. More study is necessary to fully understand the sheets, I suspect.

Reading the papers seemed to have adverse effects on Ms. Peabody and Mr. Quartermane, both of which became entranced upon handling the documents. I advise wearing gloves as a precaution. Each arranged the 6 sheets into a particular pattern, which I recorded and is included as memorandum to be filed with the artifacts themselves.

LARGEPISTOL
Connors reportedly defended himself with the included large cavalry officer’s revolver pistol against some supernatural beast. No round held proper ammunition, but had peculiar items crammed into the chambers: packed earth, bone, twigs, a bent penny, and a rock. One chamber was empty – Connors reports that it also held bone. I see no sign of how the revolver could discharge, but Connors reportedly fired it at least once, and I heard Mr. Von Eitzel discharge the pistol with great effect against the beast in the burial mound. I racked my brain on the subject, but came to no conclusions regarding the weapon. Recommend treating it as an artifact and that the Society secure it for study.

BURIALMOUND
Connors discovered a burial mound just south of Rapid City. He witnessed a purple robed figure exit the mound, possibly digging itself free. The creature’s face was covered in a gold mask, similar to the silver masks from Dubai (related?) and it warned Mr. Connors that the “Dead must rest” before attacking. Discharging the firearm seemed to scare the creature off.

Our own investigation was somewhat disastrous. Due to the small size of the entrance, Ms. Peabody opted to scout the path. I remained outside. She came upon a horror in the tomb – a creature of immensely long limbs, opened at the chest, and wearing a sash and cloak made of the skin of a number of men. She reportedly saw the skinned face of Mr. Connors. However, she also reportedly saw a calming kitten rubbing her leg, while others witnessed the beast nearly ripping off the same leg with its ferocity. Dr. Stine immediately retreated to Rapid City with the injured woman, but I’m left worrying for her sanity as much as her health.

Again, discharging the weapon (again, firing the bone chamber) seemed to recoil the creature. While it paused, the others and I fashioned a Native occult device known as a dream-catcher from spare parts to cover the mouth of the tomb. Afterwards we collapsed the mouth, hoping to hold the monster until a more prepared group could return.

FOLLOW UP
My suspicions are that the note signed T. L. belonged to Ted Logan. Also, I feel more research is necessary for the pistol and Lakota texts we retrieved. If no member of our Society know the language, I’d be glad to puzzle it out from texts on the subject. I’ve delivered all three items to the Society.

I’m most curious to search our files to find more references to the purple-robed men. Is it possible that MORDIGGIAN’s followers extend their reach to the New World? Both seem obsessed with the dead, but these members wore gold masks instead of silver. Why?

Finally, Mr Connors mentioned a matter of National Dignity. I’m not certain anything we encountered would be an embarrassment to the Union. Danger yes, but embarrassing? We may have missed some critical information that Connors took to the grave.